Korra and Tahno
by Marcelee
Summary: A story involving a series of curious interactions between two characters destined to get on each others' nerves.
1. Chapter 1

Author's Note: Please leave reviews and comments, this is my first (submitted) fanfiction and I'd love to hear how I'm doing so far, as well as anything you'd like me to improve upon. All credit for the cover artwork goes to the incredibly talented blindbandit5 , Haley Wakefield. Her work is displayed on deviantart, you can look her up by her username if you'd like to check more of her wonderful work out!

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"Korra, wait!" Mako called out after his girlfriend, walking after her and grabbing her wrist in an attempt to pull her back. However, instead of being dragged back, the now seething avatar spun around almost instantly, yanking her arm out of his grasp and staring him dead in the eye. "Leave me alone." She spat at him, her words fiery, then turned around once more and began running out of the temple.

 _I have to get out of here._

The thought was clear in her head as she continued outside. Once she had reached the pier, she stood still and gazed out at the scene before her. It was now raining, quite heavily, and the dark sky only illuminated every drop as it fell against the water in front of her. She noticed that her face was wet, and that tears were now rolling quite steadily down her cheeks. Struggling to stay focused on her goal of getting away from _him_ , Korra dove head first into the freezing body of water that separated the island from Republic City. She propelled herself quickly through the water, speeding towards the civilization like a torpedo.

After Reaching the city in a matter of minutes, she launched herself out of water and onto the docks. She bent the water out of her clothing lazily, but didn't bother attempting to shield herself from any further soaking. She thought about her situation as she trudged miserably around the streets as an attempt to calm herself.

 _For nearly two months now, Mako and Korra had been dating. The first few weeks had been alright, both of the teenagers getting what they had wanted and being together happily. But after the first month, it seemed that they were somewhat distant to one another. Realizing this, korra had persisted, trying to get closer to her boyfriend. However, it appeared to be her attempts that drove them even farther apart. They had all but fallen apart, at least to Mako. Korra insisted upon trying to work on their damaged relationship, but to no avail. One day, After coming back to the island where the two had taken up residence, she had discovered the fire bender with the wealthy Asami Sato, the new head of Sato Industries. Korra and Mako had then gotten into a heated argument, of which Korra didn't remember most of. The few parts that were currently floating on the top of her head were what mako had said to her - calling her 'childish' and 'difficult' for not understanding the situation and his 'needs'. The way he said it, his condescending tone and the way he squinted his eyes and sighed as if she were some simpleton, incapable of understanding what he was saying...it filled her with hatred for him, but also a strange and new sadness. She swore to herself, the next time she saw him, she would just-_

The sound of thunder crashing brought her back to reality. She stopped where she was, and found herself in front of a restaurant. Upon seeing the name, her mind flashed back to when she had first been here with him after she had joined their pro-bending team. "Narook's", the huge sign above the entrance read. Korra sighed to herself, then pushed the door open.

She was welcomed by the warmth in the restaurant as she stepped inside, accompanied by the savory smell of the food. Her eyes were drawn to an empty table, and she approached it quickly to make sure no one took the spot. The restaurant was relatively crowded for the time of night that it was, due to the rain drawing anyone outside indoors to the nearest place. Realizing how soaked she was as she sat down, she bent the water out of her clothing and hair, then slowly over to a bin near the door as inconspicuously as possible. A waiter approached her table, and she ordered a bowl of noodles, upon discovering a strange appetite. Upon receiving her food, she immediately began devouring it, slurping it down rather quickly. It was late, and she hadn't eaten, so she didn't care about being ladylike or even simple manners as she quickly drained the bowl.

Or so she thought.

"My, Uh-vatar. Such eloquent manners, If I May say so myself.."

Korra stopped immediately upon hearing his snake-like tone. Tahno. His endearing nickname and kind remarks never failed to put her on edge, and tonight was no exception.

Korra groaned and put her bowl down, looking across to find him seated across from her. "Not in the mood, Tahno.." She warned him in a quiet murmur.

"Where's that little fire rat of yours?" He inquired, his eyes scanning the room for the person she was trying to avoid. Korra clenched her teeth, looking up at him with a gaze that would've burned through him if looks could kill. "Not here, obviously." She said, trying to show her frustration and attempting to end their conversation. Tahno, however, seemed to be enjoying it as if they were having a completely normal discussion. He seemed almost amused, toying with the young avatar. "A lovers spat, I presume?" He asked, raising an eyebrow and watched her to see how she would react when provoked. He had hoped to maybe get a little bending, or at least a snappy retort back, but was taken slightly aback when he looked at her face. The usually strong and confident avatar was now crying.

"Those tears aren't doing you any favors, uh-vatar," Tahno said, hoping to distract her with the opportunity for a clever retort and expecting one shot immediately back at him. However, he was met instead with a furious glare. He watched in surprise as she shoved her chair away from the table and started heading outside.

"I didn't mean that, I'm sorry."

He called out after her as she stormed out, then began going after her. "I shouldn't have said that, don't go." He said, in a softer tone once he had caught up with her outside. Korra stopped and turned to look at him, ready to insult. Spinning around, she found herself much closer to him that she had intended to be. Her angry glare sought his eyes, but instantly calmed the moment she saw the apologetic look in his eyes.

"Everything isn't all peachy with you two, I'm guessing..?" He asked, watching her carefully. She shook her head in response, then looked away as she felt her eyes watering once more. Tahno sighed and shifted uncomfortably, unsure how to console the girl.

"I'm sorry about whatever happened between you two, but if you want I'll go bend the hell out of him until he apologizes for what he's done to you,"

Korra sniffled, and felt the tears return and begin to fall. She glanced up at him to look for the arrogant and smug emotions he usually wore on his face, but found neither. Instead, his eyes seemed almost..sympathetic. Tahno never showed any real feelings towards her. What was he up to..? Was she really such a mess that even _he_ pitied her?

"I'm fine."

Korra spoke this time, trying to make her voice sound as confident and "fine" as it could sound, with very little success however. She saw the corner of his mouth twitch with the faintest hint of a smile at this.

"Oh, I'm sure. You came all the way to Republic City at this time instead of staying on your cozy little island with that firehead of yours because you're so fine, right?"

Tahno replied without missing a beat, a hint of a smirk playing at his lips. "Come on now, how dull do you think I am?" He said, feigning hurt. Korra sighed and gave him a weary look. "..You'd be surprised." Korra replied dryly, clearly unamused by him. Tahno's expression changed to feign sorrow, and he made an overly pitiful face. "Oh, how you wound me..." Korra groaned, rolling her eyes at his unnecessary sarcasm. "Don't tempt me." She murmured under her breath.

Tahno heard.

"Is that a _threat_ I hear, Uh-vatar?" He asked her, a grin now on his face.

"You're asking for some serious damage, now." Korra responded, becoming slightly irritated, especially as Tahno scoffed as she said this.

"You wish," he retorted. "We both know that even without my bending I could kick your ass." Korra sighed, not in the mood for some stupid argument.

"Maybe some other time, pretty boy." She said, pondering whether she should leave and go back to the island.

"Why wait? We could spar now, if you're up for it, that is.." Tahno continued trying to provoke her.

 _Oh, how I would just love to beat the crap out him right now and make him eat his words. But if anyone deserves that, it's Mako.._

Yet here was Tahno, mocking her and almost begging for a fight. Practicing was usually somewhat relaxing for her, even though it was usually by herself..

"You're on, Pretty Boy."

9/27/105


	2. Chapter 2

_Chapter 2_

Since Tahno's bending had been taken from him and the end of the last pro-bending match of the season, Korra had resolved to not use her own bending abilities.

The two were circling one another, carefully watching each other for any slight indications as to who would strike first. Naturally, it was Korra who made the first blow. Or, rather, tried to.

Korra struck quickly, her arms moving in a blur as her fists shot out rapidly at her opponent, one after the other. Tahno, having prepared himself for her attack, immediately slid out of the way, then gracefully regained his stance and threw a quick shot in her direction. Korra blocked it almost instinctively, the moved in the opposite direction to throw a jab aimed at his abdomen, which he dodged.

The two continued like this, in their back-and-forth and almost rhythmic pattern, for only a few moments. After a few minutes, the two regained their original stances, each now breathing quite heavily.

As Tahno stared his opponent down, he noticed how something was...off about her. She had lost all focus, and appeared to be drained of energy. The basic sparring they were doing now would usually be a breeze for her, but right now she was completely disheveled. Her stance was sloppy and unbalanced, her posture was slightly hunched, and she seemed unable to even hold her hands up in the correct defensive position.

Something serious must have been going on with her for her to be this affected by it..

 _What had that stupid firebender done to throw her off like this..?_

 _ **THUD!**_

Tahno felt it before he realized what had happened. Korra's foot had connected with his lower abdomen to send him flat onto the floor. While he had been busy thinking, she had managed to catch him off guard.

 _Serves you right for caring._

He groaned as he attempted to get up, clearly in some amount of pain.

Korra approached him and held out her hand to help him up, but was rejected. He struggled and pulled himself up, despite the clear agony it caused him. "Feeling better, I see." Tahno groaned. Now standing upright, he hunched over slightly, holding his sides inconspicuously. Korra stared at him blankly for a few seconds before responding. "Serving justice _is_ my job, you know."

Tahno snorted.

"Whatever you say, _Uh-vatar._ "

Korra rolled her eyes and began heading towards the large gym exit. "Where are you off to in such a hurry?" Tahno asked.

Korra halted.

 _Mako will be waiting for me if I go back home._

"I'm sure the firehead will have a lovely reception awaiting your return."

Tahno spoke, interrupting the silence and reading her exact thoughts.

"I don't know."

A grin played across Tahno's face. "So your plan was to just walk around in this _lovely_ weather until you just happened on a place at this hour that let you-"

" _I don't know, okay?!" Korra interrupted him loudly, turning around to face him._ "I didn't exactly have a plan, okay? Sorry to be so _irresponsible."_ The loud volume of her voice could be heard echoing briefly after, then left the silence hanging in the air.

 _Now you've done it._

The voice in Tahno's head told him that he'd gone too far.

"You could stay with me for the night."

He said a bit quieter, feeling guilty.

Korra stared at him, trying to read his face for a hint of joking or some ulterior motive for this offer, but found none. She hated that the most. She didn't want him pitying her. She didn't want him patronizing her this way.

"Oh come on, Uh-vatar. Even you aren't that stupid." Tahno grinned as he walked over to her. "It's better than sleeping in the streets, I can tell you that at least."

 _...Right?_

Korra didn't even hesitate before turning around and looking him dead in the eye.

"I'd rather sleep in the streets."

Tahno shrugged indifferently.

"Suit yourself."

9/27/2015


	3. Chapter 3

_Chapter 3_

Tahno. Tahno, Tahno, Tahno.

 _What the hell is wrong with you?_

 _The first person you've spoken to in ages, and you can't even manage to be fucking halfway decent to her?_

 _The girl is clearly upset, and what do you do? You make it worse, naturally._

Tahno mentally berated himself as he trudged down the streets of Republic city.

 _You just had to keep pushing her, didn't you? Just like you've always pushed everyone._

Tahno hated himself. For the past twenty-three days, ever since he had lost his bending, he had been spiraling downwards. At first, it was incredibly sudden - from one of the victors of the pro-bending championship to no one in less than a day. Well, not exactly a no one. When word got out about paying off the officials in matches, even his once adoring fans did nothing but spit in his direction. He was a disgrace. He was despised by nearly the entire city. But hey, at least Korra's feelings for him hadn't changed. Her attitude of disgust and loathing towards him was the one thing that had stayed constant during his plunge to infamy.

 _Stop being so pathetic._

Tahno clenched his fists as he continued walking, then sighed as he relaxed them. He had no idea what he was doing.

The onslaught of rain that had come during the storm had now subsided, and had turned into a light drizzle. He moved his hands through the air, feeling the moisture settling onto his palms. He missed it. He _craved_ it. He needed it. The control of the liquid as he had enjoyed for almost all of his life.. The satisfying feeling of bending that had been stolen from him. The skill that he had relied on for his lifestyle - money, fame, friends, lovers...

All gone.

In that one split second, Amon had stolen everything from him.

He was left a broken, empty shell of his former self. Not that anyone knew.

 _Not that anyone would care._

Tahno continued his slow shuffle down the street, his head down. It had been a while since he had been out like this. He really didn't have much effort for anything anymore, except getting dressed and attempting to do his hair the way he used to have it. Almost on cue, his felt his hair starting to stick to his face as a result of the moisture now seeping through didn't live much of a life. On multiple occasions, he didn't even want to. What was there to live for?

Tahno shook his head, trying to escape the same thoughts that went through his head every single day. He looked around, trying to gather his bearings and figure out where he was. After observing his surroundings, he realized he was. He stood near the entrance of Republic City Park. Usually a lively and bright scene in the daytime, the park was filled with shadows and seemed incredibly bare. He walked over to a bench located next to the stream. Sitting down, he fixed his gaze on the movement of the water. The way it flowed continuously, entirely at the mercy of the current, almost hypnotized him. Once again, he yearned for his bending back.

Korra sulked outside, walking without a purpose through Republic City. She knew that Tahno was right, and she knew she should've accepted his offer. All of this was a stupid, horrible idea. Why hadn't she accepted? She could've been wherever he lived, _indoors,_ and not on the streets. The torrential downpour from the storm had eased off, and now it was lightly drizzling. The sky around her was pitch black, and the dim streetlights that lined the sidewalks weren't nearly bright enough in the haze of moisture that seemed to fill the air.

 _What are you doing? Where are you going? You've got nowhere to run._

Her subconscious kept verbally assaulting her with questions she had no answers for.

Korra decided to head towards Republic City Park to ease her mind. Very similar to her first day in the city, she had nowhere to go, and had no idea what she was doing. Those were the easy days, when she didn't have anything wrong. No boyfriends or ex-boyfriends to worry about, just focusing on her duties. And now, here she was.

Upon her arrival at the park, she recalled her very first day and how she had met one of the bagabonds who lived in the park. She sat down on the bridge, balanced precariously on the side, and stared down into the river and at her favorite element. She could feel the motions of the water somewhere in her mind, and she felt the current as it pushed downstream. As she stared into the liquid, she became more aware of her growing exhaustion. It had been a long day - even before the kerfuffle with Mako. She had been hard at work training her airbending, and working on the whole spiritual aspect of bending. And here she was, in the middle of republic city, extremely tired and with no place to go..

Korra groaned, then sat up straight and got up from her position on the bridge. It wouldn't do any good falling asleep there and most likely falling into the river during her sleep. She began walking over to a local park bench and say down, then curled up.

 _You're pathetic._

Here she was, the bridge between two worlds, master of all four elements, crumpled and weak on a bench in a park.

 _Everything gets to you. You're a disgrace to the name, your entire past. How can you possibly save_ _ **anyone**_ _? You can't even handle a relationship, much less the responsibilities of keeping peace._

She stood up and began pacing back and forth, trying to keep herself active and distracted from the thoughts in her head.

 _You're weak._

The tears began streaming down her face once more, this time no longer disguised by the rain. She dropped back down into the bench, and grabbed her head in her hands. She pulled her ties out of her hair and let it drop down past her face. She shook with each sob, emotionally and physically exhausted.

"...Korra?"

She recognized the deep, smooth voice that spoke her name.

10/13/2015


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Damnit.

Tahno. How had he found her?

She loathed looking up, as she didn't want him seeing her crying for the second time in one day. She was supposed to be strong, emotionally indestructible, hard and fearless. How could she cry like this in front of him?

She knew she couldn't just ignore him. She turned her head forwards and looked at him, her eyes conveying everything she hadn't said. Her once glowing and bright blue eyes were now a dulled grey color. They looked weary and cold, while the expression they held showed how exhausted the girl was. Even if she was the avatar, it was hard to believe that she was still just a teenager, only a few years younger than him.

"Come."

Tahno stared at her, then stiffly held out his hand.

He gaze quickly glanced down to his hand, then back up to meet his.

 _Wherever he takes you, it couldn't be worse than out here…_

After a brief moment of staring at him, she hung her head pitifully, then stood up. Tahno retracted his hand, feeling somewhat uncomfortable.

 _Why is she making this so difficult?_

He was just trying to be nice, for once. Yet here she was, still making it as hard as she could for him to do that. Despite her response, he continued.

"You're coming home with me."

Thoughts rushed through her head. All of the possibilties, all of his bad intentions, alternate reasonings behind his kindness besides wanting to get laid…

But despite all of the drawbacks she came up with, the one thing on her mind was how horrible and tired she felt. Resignedly, she nodded slightly, then followed him as he started walking.

"You know, Uh-vatar, when someone does something nice for you, people usually offer their thanks."

She ignored him.

After some while of walking, Tahno stopped in front of a smaller-than average household. It wasn't tiny, but it was by no means the massive, luxurious palace she had expected him to live in. He opened the door with his key, then held it open for her. "Voíla," he said. "Welcome, Avatar, to my humble abode." With this introduction, came an exaggerated bow from Tahno as he gestured her inside. Before he could offer her the grand tour, he saw her yawn quite enthusiastically, and led her towards a room. As he opened the door, he began to speak. "And here is where you'll be sleeping."

Before she could have the chance to flop down into the large king-sized bed, he quickly remembered her rain-drenched attire. He rushed over to his closet and began searching for something for her to wear. Upon discovering several t-shirts and two pairs of athletic shorts that he usually reserved for practice, he came back out and thrust them into her hands.

"If you'd like to get out of those soaked clothes, feel free to change", he offered. Noticing her uneasy expression, he excused himself from the room and returned to his living room. He stripped himself of his shoes and jackets, then lay down on one of the large couches adorning the room. Although it lacked the comfort and warmth of his bed, his body soon adjusted to it once he found a throw blanket and attempted to cover as much of himself as he could.

He murmured to himself as he fell asleep, and the words barely left his lips before he was sound asleep.

"Goodnight, Uh-vatar."

11/10/2015


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

Korra woke up with a start, breathing heavily. Her nightmares had returned to her once more, and her sleep was plagued with horrific images and faces. Although she had vanquished Amon nearly two weeks ago, the terrifying images that had kept her awake then still returned to her. That, and the nightmare that she was forced to live when he took her bending. She remembered the powerless, empty feeling that had consumed her, and how desperately she craved it.

She shook her head, clearing her mind of the previous thoughts. She sat up, still somewhat tired but no more so than she usually dealt with. "What time is it..?" she asked herself, aware that Pemma would be coming for her at 6 to rouse her and get ready for another busy day. Korra glanced over to where her clock was, only to find it missing. As she began looking around more frantically, she noticed that her entire room was different than it usually was…

She sat up quickly, then began panicking, afraid that she had been kidnapped once more by one of her enemies. As she slowly got more and more agitated and distressed, last night came back to her. The fight with Mako, running out, the noodles, Tahno…

Shit.

The avatar cursed herself mentally, finally remembering what had happened. She climbed out of the bed, and rushed about to get ready. She had to get back to the temple, Tenzin would probably have a search party going through the city by now…

Halfway over to the door, Korra caught a glance of her reflection in the mirror and halted, surprised by her own appearance. Instead of her traditional water tribe clothes, she wore a grey shirt decorated with the logo of the Wolfbats, and a pair of sweatpants to match. Her hair, not usually done up in any fancy sort of fashion, now looked even messier than usual. The bands usually in her hair were gone, which didn't bother her so much, since she had plenty at home. Her hair, instead of in its usual high ponytail, was now carelessly hanging past her shoulders and in her face. She looked like a mess. Her face looked exhausted and dreary. Streaks of dried tears were on her face, and her eyes looked dull and miserable.

Was I crying in my sleep..?

She sighed, then continued her search for her missing clothing items, but was interrupted by his voice once more.

"Top of the morning to you, Uh-vatar."

She groaned, knowing that she should at least be civil, since he had let her stay over when she had nowhere to go. Her gaze fixed awkwardly on the floor, as she recalled the emotional wreck she had been last night.

"Morning,"

She looked up uncomfortably to see if he was wearing his trademark jackass grin, but became more unsettled once she saw what he was wearing. Tahno was dressed in nothing but a towel, tied loosely around his waist. She couldn't help but notice how muscular he appeared, despite being lean, and she couldn't help but wonder what he was doing to stay like that since he was no longer a famed pro-bender. Unfortunately, her gaze lingered for just a second too long, and he managed to notice her stare.

"Like what you see?"

Tahno quipped, clearly entertained by her growing discomfort. Korra shifted, before recalling her rush.

"You wish, Pretty Boy. Besides, I have to get going. Being the avatar and all, important duties and whatnot…"

She walked past him, and then made her leave, continuing out the door where she broke into a fast-paced run back to the docks. Upon reaching the wooden planks that marked the change in scenery, she used her bending to create an ice board, which she hurriedly used to transport herself to the piers of Avatar island. As she leapt onto the pier, she allowed her ice board to melt back into its previously aquatic state. Korra charged toward the temple, her temple only slowing upon reaching the massive entrance.

"KORRA!"

She halted immediately upon hearing her name called. Upon seeing Tenzin rapidly approaching her, her heartbeat quickened, and the realization of how much trouble she was in finally sunk in.

"WHERE have you been?! THE ENTIRE ISLAND has been out searching for you since dawn. We heard that you had left the island, so the guards went into the city in an attempt to track you down. Your friends have been scouring every nook and cranny of Republic city in attempts to find you! Do you have any idea the panic you've caused!"

Tenzin lectured, clearly frustrated. However, Korea felt a wave of relief as she heard Pema cut in and give Tenzin a disapproving glare.

"Yes...we were all very worried about you, Korra. Especially since there was that massive storm last night. Are you alright? Where did you go? What happened? What are you wearing..?"

Korra sighed. "I'm fine, really, but I'd rather not talk about it.."

She trudged to her room, and was about to flip into bed when Tenzin called to her: "Since you're fine, you should be up to your regular air ending practice. I expect you out in three minutes."

She groaned, knowing that this was his way of punishing her. She stripped out of the clothes that Tahno had been ever so generous to provide, and dressed herself in her usual water tribe garb. As she headed out the door and began walking out to the training pad outdoors, she saw a tall figure step out and walk into her.

"What the hel-" She started to exclaim, but stopped when she realized who had bumped into her.

"Nice of you to come back." He muttered under his breath, a sarcastic tone obvious in his voice.

"Nice of you to be so charming." Korra shot back, glaring daggers at the fire bender before her.

Mako glared at her, his face containing a mixture of frustration and yet relief. "Where were you?! Where'd you go? I've been looking for you for the past four hours! Do you have any idea what an inconvenience you are? Always running off or doing some dumb plan that you never fully think out! It's exhausting, and I'm tired of looking out for you!"

He ranted at her, his tone both condescending and irritated.

Korra was livid. It took nearly all of her energy to restrain herself and keep from screaming her response.

"First of all, I never asked you to look out for me. You never even act like you care about me, blaming me for every little thing in your life that you can't control. I'm tired of you treating me like some five year old who doesn't know what she's doing! I'm the avatar, not your little pet that you have to take care of. And you know what? You don't have to worry about me anymore, since I'm such an inconvenience for you."

Make stared at her.

"What the hell is that supposed to mean? Obviously, I'm gonna look out for my girlfriend, since-"

She didn't let him finish.

"Ex-girlfriend, that is.

And with that, she shoved him against the wall and out of her way as she stormed off to practice.

11/18/2015


	6. Chapter 6

_Chapter Six_

Tahno flopped lazily into the nest of rustled sheets that adorned his bed. Despite his tendencies to wake up early, he was by no means a morning person, and preferred to take occasional naps during the day to keep his energy up. Especially now, he was in desperate need of some good rest after last night. After guiding the avatar to his luxurious bed, he had gloomily returned to the living room and promptly dozed off on the large sofa, and despite its incredulous comfort to _sit_ on, the same could not be applied for _sleeping_ on it, as his aching joints now told him. However, he was now incredibly comfortable and satisfied, glad to be back on his bed, surrounded by the lush pillows and sheets he had decorated it with. He noticed that the sheets he was now wrapping himself in had a familiar scent, and he realized that it was her aroma. With a soft and feminine air to it, the natural and flowery scent provided a strange sense of comfort he had not felt in a while. He felt his eyelids fluttering, and soon found himself being engulfed in a deep slumber.

Tahno was thrust back into the hellish nightmare that he had been reliving every single day after, any time he closed his eyes. It had manifested from a constant bad dream into a whole new level of terror in his mind each time the memory came back to him. The cold, unforgiving expression that had peeked out from underneath the mask was now boring a hole into his mind. The hand that was then extended to him was what had shaken him the most, as he struggled in vain in a futile attempt to escape the inevitable future that Amon had clearly planned for him. He could recall the exact feelings that had surged through his body. It was everything, and then nothing.

However, this dream seemed different from the ones he was used to. Having had the same dream countless times had allowed him to grow familiar with what usually happened, so he knew that something was..off. He just couldn't figure out what it was…

Until he glanced back up at Amon.

Or, rather, where Amon should have been.

Tahno whirled around in confusion, finding absolutely no sign of the equalist leader. Instead, he was met with a loud, cheering crowd of thousands of people. The probending championship match appeared to be commencing as it should have. A quick and painful shot of ice-cold water struck his helmet, and the sound and impact of his visor shook him out of his daze. Instinctively, his arms shot back to gather their own ammunition of the liquid to fire back at his poor assailant. His gaze locked onto the opposing team's waterbender - the girl who had proved to be such a challenge to him before - and immediately released a flurry of water spheres at her, freezing them partially midair to deliver a harder reception to their target. A grin found its way to his face, as he began to lose himself in his bending.

The smooth way it flowed around him, serving as almost an outer part of his body. He played with it loosely as he ruthlessly unleashed torrent after torrent of the liquid at anyone he managed to fixate on. Strike after strike, he propelled the opposing team back, knocking them off their feet into the second zone and providing his own team with the upper hand. He narrowed his eyes, focusing yet more on the task at hand. A wicked grin spread across his face as he fixated his gaze on the firebender whom he despised so greatly. Behind his back, Tahno summoned a large amount of his strength to slowly and carefully extract the water from the tunnels below him, pushing the flow into a circular path. As he easily dodged the frantic attacks of the desperate team before him, he slowly began freezing the liquid into dagger- sharp shards and prepared to attack. With his arms raised, he pulled the shards up and shot them directly towards the fire bender. At first, several of them merely brushed his uniform and threw him off, but as he became more distressed and his motions more frantic,, several of them tore through his uniform and managed to pierce him. Tahno glanced over at the referees, who had obviously noticed but had remained silent through the entire ordeal, as they had been significantly rewarded for their cooperation. Taking advantage of the hindered firebender, Tahno hurled a large wave of water in his direction to shove him roughly out of both second and third rings and into the water awaiting him below.

He glanced over to see how the other team was doing, and his gaze immediately stuck to their waterbender. Korra had managed to muster up the strength to hurl a massive tidal wave at his teammate and knock them completely off the arena in a single blow.

Impressed and slightly intimidated now, Tahno matched her stare and tossed her a playful wink, which distracted her long enough for him to shoot out a water whip and crack it against her leg, loosening it from underneath her and toppling her over. He didn't even give her a chance to regain her stance as he harnessed the water once more to illegally drag her out of the third zone and send her plummeting down into the water with her teammate. Now, only one member remained in the fire ferrets' team, and Tahno and his partner immediately began pummeling him with their remaining energy. After a few quick (and cheap) shots, they sent him flying out of the ring as well. The bell sounded, marking the end of the game and the final round of the championships. Tahno, noe completely immersed in what was going on, allowed himself a genuine grin as he looked back over at his teammate. For the fourth year in a row, the Whitefalls Wolfbats were to be crowned this year's pro-bending champions. The cheers and applause from the audience was only now audible to him, and were almost deafening.

Tahno awoke once more, slowly this time, his eyelids slowly fluttering open only to be burned by the bright light of the sun peeking through his blinds. He scowled mentally, then rolled over and pressed his face into his pillow. After a minute or so, he groaned and climbed sluggishly out of bed. He scavenged around his role with his eyes, searching for his comfortable slippers. After locating them and sliding his feet into them, he began heading for the kitchen, his nose already imagining the sweet aroma of the tea he was about the prepare. As he entered the kitchen, Tahno flippantly raised his arm in the direction of the sink. He was surprised to he met with silence, and tried once more. Frustrated and angry and himself for getting caught up in his dreams, he trudged unhappily over to the sink to turn on the tap, kettle on hand. He filled the pot halfway with water, then set it onto the stove to heat up. He glanced around his kitchen, bored, as he waited for the kettle to boil. He wasn't really one for breakfast.

Several minutes later, the pot whistled, indicating that the water was ready. Tahno pulled his favourite mug from one of the cabinets, a large ceramic cup that had been given to him as a gift. He then reached into a special container, rummaging around for a moment before pulling out a small scoop of leaves and pouring it into the empty mug, followed by the boiled water. He left it to sit and cool for a second, before picking up the mug and delicately sipping at its scalding contents. He had worked drinking tea down to a fine art with his love of it, accepting the burns of the liquid and the warmth and aroma of it carried by the steam into his nostrils. Tahno placed down the mug and sighed, currently content.

 _Crash!_

Of course it couldn't last that long.

3/29/2016


	7. Chapter 7

_Chapter Seven_

Tahno ducked down, hearing the sudden noise. Although it had taken him completely off guard, it was not completely unexpected. Ever since word had spread about him losing his bending, people no longer held their respect for him. Word had _also_ managed to get out about his team's cheating and illegitimacy in the arena, and as team captain, he was held primarily responsible. His fans had turned on him, and those already against him seemed to hate him even more. The first day after the incident, when word was first finding its way out, his home had been broken in. Left completely defenseless and still in shock by Amon, Tahno had been unable to do anything about it. He had been robbed of a large amount of his valuables - paintings, rugs, and especially the trophies. Entire probending teams had come in at one point and raided his shrine to the sport. The news articles of his victories had been torn off the walls, any trophies either stolen or smashed. After that, other groups broke in but didn't steal anything, they simply came and began attacking him. They kicked him, punched him, spat on him, and left him a disgraced mess on the floor of his home. He lay there for the entire night, bleeding and in pain, wishing for death. That had been in his other home, not this one. He had left his large mansion in search of peace and refuge, and was currently residing in his smaller, quieter home. Very few people knew about this home, and now one more. His thoughts drifted to the girl who had slept overnight here, and he thought about what she might have thought of his other home. Would she have been jealous of all the displays of his fame? Would she have been disgusted by his blatant flaunting of his wealth? Would she be impressed? Did it matter?

Tahno sighed, standing up properly and heading over to where the noise had come from, leaving his tea on one of the countertops. He found the noise to have come from the living room, or so he assumed, based on the large hole smashed into his window, the broken glass shards on the floor, and the brick laying in the center of it all. He cursed mentally as he headed back to the kitchen to get a broom. He groaned, having all his hopes for a peaceful morning dashed entirely. He grabbed the broom from the storage closet, then began walking back to the mess. Despite his prevailing state of exhaustion, he was now somewhat alert and incredibly on edge. He had hoped to just have a simple, relaxing morning for once. Was he unworthy of even that simple pleasure?

His ears suddenly picked up the sound of quick, muted footsteps. He flattened himself against the wall, leaning the brom carefully beside him so it would not fall. He focused intently on the noises, trying to figure out who had abruptly interrupted his peace and quiet to invade his privacy in such a brutish manner. However, the sounds had gone away, and he was left with the deafening sound of silence. _Where did they go? What did they want? Who was it?_ Tahno's head was brimming with questions he had no answers for. He peeked carefully around the corner into the living room, only to find it just as empty as he had left it. He crept into the room, once more wielding the broom, but now in a more defensive and threatening manner.

"Who's there?"

He called, demanding a response.

His question was met with silence.

"I said _Who's there?"_

He repeated, his tone now darker and more menacing.

Once again, silence.

"You don't know who you're messing with, and I don't think you want to find out..." He said, his voice deep and harsh.

"Oh, we know exactly who you are. You'll have to excuse us if we're not so scared, though."

With this, three figures entered the room. The first of them, the one speaking and clearly the leader of the group, appeared to be a heavy-set, yet muscular, character with somewhat fair skin and short, dark, neat hair. Tahno stared at him, very faintly recognizing the face of the man before him, but unable to place it. The second of them, standing directly behind the first man, had a tanned complexion with even darker hair. A combination of a grin and a scowl appeared to be prominent on the man's face, and Tahno realized that this was yet another mysteriously familiar face. When his gaze transfixed on the third member of the team, a somewhat muscular yet lean man, he realized that this was one of the probending teams that had come after him. Realization struck, as was clearly displayed through the brief look of anguish that took its place on Tahno's face. Unfortunately, it was not quite brief enough to go completely unnoticed. The second man, picking up on Tahno's expression, decided to comment on it. "Looks like waterboy here has remembered us," He remarked, his snide grin growing. "Oh, that's right. You don't have your little powers anymore, do you? And there aren't any paid off refs here, so it looks like you're in for a loss today."

Tahno stepped back hesitantly, defensively holding up the broom in an attempt to keep them back.

The leader of the group stepped forwards as Tahno did this, a cruel smile beginning to spread across his face. "So, _Tahno,"_ He spat the man's name out with disdain as he continued. "Do you remember _exactly_ who we are?"

Tahno stared blankly at the leader for a moment before regaining his composure and attempting to take a more confident stance. He narrowed his eyes at the man who had addressed him before spitting back one of his typical sarcastic answers. "Of course I do, you're Bilbo and the Bolar Pears, aren't you?" He stepped back as he spoke, finding himself against the wall sooner than he'd expected to be.

"Funny," the leader spoke. "At least you'll have that going for you after we're done with you. If you're unfortunate to make it through, that is," he commented, extending one arm and igniting a fire in it. He slowly began approaching Tahno as he spoke: "I'm not surprised you don't remember us. Few people remember the names of dishonored champions. And after all, your team was the winner…"

Tahno stared questioning lay at the man advancing, and began inching away to the side in the hopes of getting away. "I don't know what you're talking about." He said, matter-of-factly.

This seemed to enrage the large man even more, as Tahno observed from the very carelessly controlled flame quickly growing in the man's palm. "I'm talking about your very first pro-bending championship, of course. The Whitefalls Wolfbats versus, oh, who was it again? Oh, right. The Beijongg Boar-Q-Pines! I remember that match like it was yesterday...the cheering fans, the bright stadium lights, and - let's not forget - all of your illegal moves and paid off referees that cost us our title." His eyes locked onto Tahno, and seemed ablaze with a burning rage that could've charred him had it been real. "So, we've come for a rematch."

Tahno froze upon hearing these words, knowing the inevitable pain that was to come. He lurched left, then charged forwards, hoping to be able to rush past the third member without him being able to stop him. However, the second man, having predicted Tahno's urge to flee, had already launched a water whip and wrapped it around his ankle and was currently winding up to yank it back. Tahno paused, firmly planting his feet into the ground as an attempt to make it more difficult for the waterbender. However, the bender didn't even hesitant as he yanked it upwards, flipping Tahno face-first into the ground.

Tahno winced in pain as his face connected with the solid wooden floors that covered the floor in his house. _I should've gone with carpet,_ he thought regretfully to himself. He turned over and was about to get up when he was yanked from the floor and was smashed against a wall by the rough hand of the third member of the team. He felt a sharp pain in his side, and found himself being crushed in between two large pillars of rock. The large hand against his chest pulled away, granting him a second of slight relief, before it came back and pummeled him right in his jaw.

"Looks like the Wolfbats aren't doing so well, they're already into zone two!" The leader narrated with a booming voice, grinning wickedly at Tahno as he did so.

The flame in his hand had grown quite considerably in the time since Tahno had last seen it. Noticing the gaze of Tahno, the leader of the group began approaching Tahno and brought the fire uncomfortably close to Tahno's chin. He squirmed awkwardly, trying to avoid ruining his complexion and getting burned in the process. However, instead of burning his face, the firebender took his hand and pressed it slowly and painfully against Tahno's forearm. The screams and cries of the former bender echoed throughout the walls of the house as Tahno begged for mercy. After satisfied with the pain he had inflicted, the bender pulled his hand away. "Sorry about the marks, pretty boy. Let me even it out for you." He lit the flame once more in his other hand, and firmly gripped Tahno's other arm with it. Tears came to the once-proud man, and Tahno begged the man to stop. His words were futile against the word of the bender, as he merely cackled and continued with his commentary. "And with that, the Wolfbats are back into the third lane already! Looks like the Boar-Q-Pines are sure to win this one if they could only knock them out of the ring!"

Tahno's eyes widened in agony as he heard this, knowing there was more to come. He was surprised, instead, when he felt the earthen beams loosening their grip on him, and he fell to the floor. Defeated and with nothing more to lose, Tahno crumpled up on the floor.

They didn't seem to like that.

"Get up. You can't give up like this in the world of probending."

They continued their assault on him, kicking at his aides and pummeling him with their elements. Tahno winced with each hit, but he remained on the floor. Suddenly, the beating stopped.

"It wouldn't be fair to continue to brutally assault a defenseless team when you've done all you can to gain the upper hand to secure the championship. Don't worry, we'll give you a break.."

Tahno allowed himself a small sigh of relief.

"...just like you did when you _stole our_ _ **fucking**_ _championship title from us like the lowlife, undeserving, and worthless piece of human shit you are!"_ The leader finished his sentence, spitting out the last of it with an unimaginable sense of brutality and absolutely no sense of mercy.

Tahno felt a strong, sharp kick to his chest that caught him off guard. Completely winded and unable to breathe, he began coughing and gasping for air.

"And just like that, the Beijongg Boar-Q-Pines have sized this year's championship! Outstanding game, ladies and gentlemen!" The leader concluded his narration with an enthustiastic exclamation, then bowed and turned to leave. Both of the men with him followed behind, with the third member turning around before exiting to make a snide comment. "Great rematch, by the way."

Tahno managed to keep his eyes open long enough to watch them leave, but remained on the floor, rendered immobile by the assault. He continued coughing and gasping for breath, more desperately than ever now. He was losing oxygen, and very quickly. He noticed his vision becoming more and more impaired, the shapes becoming fuzzier and the scene before him turning to black. He felt his head spinning and tried to sit up, but found himself falling back to the floor before passing into unconsciousness.

4/12/2016


	8. Chapter 8

_Chapter Eight_

Korra could've sworn that today's practice was her punishment for leaving last night. Tenzin had spiked up the usual intensity of their exercises, and Korra felt herself huffing for breath. In addition to this, her exhaustion from the previous night was beginning to creep in, as she hadn't slept well. Despite the comfort of Tahno's lush sheets and luxurious pillows, she had found herself tossing and turning throughout the night, waking up at various hours of the night. Then, when she had finally managed to doze off successfully, she had been awoken by one of her nightmares. This one hadn't one of the more horrifying ones, thankfully, as it would've been even more awkward if she had to deal with waking him up early in the morning after kicking him out of his bed. She felt the guilt creeping up on her as she thought more of the kindness he had demonstrated last, in addition to his usual sarcasm. He _had_ been awfully nice to her, she realized. _I should really go thank him…_

"Korra!"

She snapped back to attention and focused her gaze on the source of the voice.

"Yes, Tenzin?" She replied, her voice filled with her current exhaustion.

"This exercise is about focus and control, not you daydreaming and doing...whatever it is you were doing that managed to do all of this," He said, gesturing to the haphazard assortment of leaves, twigs, and larger branches that now surrounded her.

Korra sighed, and replied while attempting to suppress a yawn: "I'm sorry. It's just...hard to focus right now."

Tenzin met her response with a questioning gaze, but decided not to press any further and leave the girl with some of her privacy. "Very well then. Feel free to go and gather yourself, if you need to, Korra. I don't want you to push yourself any further than necessary."

An appreciative smile spread across Korra's face as she nodded in thanks. She turned around and began heading inside, her thoughts turning to Tahno, as she wondered what she could possibly do to repay him for his generosity last night. The _last_ thing she wanted was to be indebted to him, as he'd hold it over her eternally. She set her mind on paying him back, and set off to Republic City in search of some form of payment, a sense of determinism and curiosity motivating her. While she did want to thank Tahno, she figured she'd probe him for an explanation to his behaviour last night.

"KORRA!"

A booming voice echoed through the halls of the temple, breaking through the blissful silence that Korra had previously been relishing. She turned around, recognizing the familiar voice, and was nearly tackled by the friendly embrace of her favourite earthbender. "Hey, Bolin!" She greeted him, a smile already spreading across her face. He hugged her tightly, lifting her up as he did so. "Korra! Where have you been? I've been worried sick about you for the past uh, two hours! I woke up and everyone was looking for you, and I asked Mako and he just got all angry and didn't really give me an answer.." He trailed off, setting her down once more as he waited for an answer. Korra's smile faded away slightly as she began. "Well, Mako and I got into an argument last night, so I left the island for a bit, and I ended up spending the night at Tahno's."

Bolin blinked at her.

"I'm sorry, I think I missed that last bit. Where'd you stay again?"

Korra sighed, knowing exactly how Bolin was going to react.

"I said I stayed the night at Tahno's"

Bolin leaned forward, cupping his ear as he did so. "Yeah, see, I'm gonna need you to repeat that one more time, because I thought that I heard you say that you stayed the night at Tahno's, but you clearly couldn't have said that because I know you know what he's done and what he's like and-"

"I stayed at Tahno's, Bolin. And yeah, I know what Tahno's like, but that's the thing, he wasn't like that last night." Korra interjected, leaving out the part where she had slept in his bed and woken up to find him half-naked. Bolin stared at her, slightly confused, raising an eyebrow as if waiting for more. After a minute, he shrugged and gave her a smile. "If you say so, I guess. So where are you off to so early?" Korra explained to him how she wanted to pay him back for helping her out last night, and told him that she was headed into Republic City in search of something to show her thanks with. Borra seemed slightly skeptical, and insisted upon going with her in case Tahno had returned to his normal self, to which Korra agreed.

Bolin and Korra strolled through the city, headed to Tahno's after a large amount of deliberating about what exactly to get him. The gift they had found was picked out by Korra, after the two walked by a particularly aromatic bakery. The large baskets of baked goods that had adorned the store's window display seemed like the perfect means of thanks, so Bolin carried the large container as Korra navigated them to Tahno's building with some difficulty. After heading down about three streets that lead them to a dead end, Korra finally managed to locate the house he had led her to the night before. Korra approached the building, her pace slowing down as she (regrettably) attempted to configure what to say, preferably something between an awkward "thank you for saving me from that stupid storm"and "I guess you're not as much of an asshole as I thought you were and I'd like to offer you this delicious basket of goodies as a congratulatory prize".

"Hey, Korra, do you remember this being here yesterday?"

Bolin's inquiry broke her from her efforts, and she turned in his direction to find him peering at one of the windows that decorated the front side of the house. She walked over to him, still carrying the basket. She set it down carefully, then approached the spot Bolin was staring at. There was a gaping hole in the window, and inside the house, there was a collection of shattered glass displayed on the floor. Korra stared at the mess, unsure of what to think. She hadn't seen much of his house yesterday, and the few details she had noticed were now blurred memories in her mind. She shook her head at Bolin, then looked around briefly for any indication of what could have happened, only to be met with nothing. Brushing it off as a result of an accident, she picked up the muffin basket and headed towards the front door. As she climbed up the steps of the porch, she noticed that the door was slightly ajar - as if someone had just left and forgotten to close the door. "Bolin, take a look at this." She called over to Bolin, who had only just stopped checking out the window. The earthbender walked over to her and took a look at the open door, then glanced uneasily over at Korra. Korra set the basket aside, then knocked twice on the door, loudly enough for anyone inside to hear. She waited patiently for a whole ten seconds, then pushed the door open as quietly as possible, gesturing for Bolin to follow her inside. The two crept into the entrance of the house, glancing around for any signs of Tahno. Korra began following Tahno's steps from the night before on the path he had taken her to the room she had slept in, while Bolin edged in the other direction through another hallway.

She moved briskly through the halls, taking care to be as quiet as possible. Her eyes scanned around for any indications of where he might be, as she moved into the bedroom. The sheets had been carelessly strewn aside, and were laying on one side of the bed. A burgundy towel lay on top of them, and Korra recognized it as the one he was wearing that morning. She glanced searchingly around the room, before walking out of the room.

"KORRA!"

Bolin's yell echoed through the house, his tone urgent and worried. Korra quickly rushed over to the sound of his voice, stopping dead in her tracks once she found him. The earthbender was staring at the ground, or more so, the seemingly lifeless body that lay on it. Korra gasped as she recognized the pale-skinned young man before her, his body marred with burns and some newly-forming bruises. Half of his face was decorated with blood, and the pained expression on his face made her breath catch in her throat. Bolin seemed transfixed on the body, staring at it in shock. Despite being a pro-bender, he had never seen this amount of violence or pain clearly expressed before, since the matches he fought usually required some armor shielding and had a strict set of rules as to prevent serious injuries. Korra stared at the body, panicked thoughts now charging through her mind, as she tried to figure out what she should do. "We...We have to get him back to the temple. Pemma will know what to do...There are healers there, and they can help him and…" She trailed off as her eyes scanned Tahno, observing and taking note of his injuries. Bolin blinked, clearing his thoughts, then glanced over and analyzed the expression on Korra's face. She seemed to have a pained expression on her face, mixed with a swirl of guilt. "It's not your fault, Korra." He said, attempting to relieve her of the guilt. Korra brushed off his remark with a sigh before speaking: "We have to get him back to the temple."

She moved to pick Tahno up, but Bolin shook his head at her, then lifted up his body and balanced him carefully in his arms. Korra gazed at Tahno's body, then turned and headed back towards the entrance of the house. Her eyes trailed around the floor and walls, searching for any indication of who had caused this. They reached the entrance of the house, finding no indication as to who had left it - and its owner - in such a state. Korra could feel her emotions overwhelming her, anger - at herself for not being able to do something and protect him, and at whoever had done this to him. _What kind of monster would do this to someone..?_ She glanced back at Bolin, and the pale, bruised individual laying lifelessly in his arms, bouncing with each step the earthbender took.

With a deep breath, she began walking quickly, desperate to get back to the temple. Bolin followed her, matching her pace but keeping an even stride as to keep the waterbender in an upright position in his arms.

 _This should at least make up for him letting you stay the night..._

 _11/2/2016_


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter Nine

Tahno opened his eyes.

And then immediately shut them, groaning in pain. Everything hurt. Resignedly, he opened them once more, still gritting his teeth. He sat up immediately as his eyes began adjusting, glancing rapidly around the room at his unfamiliar surroundings.

His eyes fixated on the set of drawers to his right, then on his feet – hidden behind the strange fabric that he now noticed was covering the rest of his body.

 _No…No, this isn't right…What is this? Where am I?_

He strained his mind, trying to remember what had happened, searching for anything in his memory that could possibly indicate how he had wound up here.

Nothing.

He removed the sheet covering his body and stared down. Purple bruises marked his torso, and red burn scars marred the skin on his arm.

 _Assholes._

He cursed them mentally, and leaned his head back against the wall. He closed his eyes once more, and sighed, as he allowed his mind to wander. This had happened all too many times – him getting attacked again. Him being defenseless, weak. The physical pain he was now experiencing only added to his mental agony. He found himself again where he had been about a month ago, furious with himself for being weak enough to succumb to the delusions of still being a bender. _If I had my bending, I could have taken them. I could've fought them off, and taught them to stay away. I wouldn't be here, hideously scarred and bruised. I wouldn't be so fucking useless, such a waste._

His hands clenched into fists as he spoke. He felt himself growing angrier, and decided to remove himself from his thoughts. His eyes reopened, and he looked over his body once more before finally deciding to get up. He swung his legs cautiously over the edge of the bed, ignoring the new rush of pain that shot through his lower torso. He recoiled for a second, wincing as he adjusted to the discomfort. Tahno leaned over slowly, gasping at the obtrusive pain that surged all through his chest as he leaned over, his hands resting firmly on his knees to support his upper body. Pausing for a moment to gather himself, he groaned in pain as he thought of his next move. Forcing himself to straighten his spine, he pushed his legs down and stood up. Feeling the excruciating pain that was now shooting all throughout his body, he slammed his arm against the wall as he leaned against it for support. A loud thud sounded as he did so, and no sooner had he done it, he heard shuffling footsteps outside his door. Tahno stiffened, preparing himself for the worst. The door creaked open, and Tahno focused his gaze uneasily on the opening. A caramel-coloured hand reached around the door, followed by the peeking face of the Avatar. He watched her carefully, noticing her sky-blue eyes looking over his body, widening slightly as they reached his abdomen, and even more when they met his own eyes.

"Uh, hey, Tahno."

Her voice sounded, greeting him shyly as she entered the room. "It's nice to see you up and…awake." A small smile crept across her mouth as she spoke, and her eyes visibly brightened briefly, before reading the pained expression on his face. Her eyes widened after a moment, realizing the pain he was in, and remembering something.

"OH! You need to be laying down, resting. Katara said that you shouldn't be up for at least another couple of hours and should be letting yourself heal."

With this, she hurried over to him, extending an arm tenderly behind him as to guide him back to the bed.

"…I do believe that you forgot the rest of what I said, Korra. I _also_ told you to give the boy some space and not to stress him out,"

Katara's voice sounded from the now-widening crevice, causing Korra to jump slightly.

"I'm not stressing him out…" Korra muttered under her breath, knowing what was to come next if she decided to argue further.

The door opened further, and in walked the renowned waterbender. Tahno's eyes widened as he studied her. Katara – the legendary waterbender who had fought in the hundred-year war with the previous avatar. Her deep-ocean eyes expressed her wisdom and experience, and her kind face comforted him. The waterbending master made her way over to him as the avatar stepped back, a resigned expression on her face.

Tahno stretched his legs once more as he heaved them back into bed, returning to the position he had been in before he had attempted to leave. The pain was more excruciating this time, and he cringed with each movement. Katara watched him closely, studying his movements and the expression of pain playing across his face, before speaking:

"I recommend that you stay in bed for at least the rest of the day, resting your body. You've sustained some serious injuries – two fractured ribs which nearly came close to damaging your spleen – in addition to the burn on your arm that was close to being a third-degree burn if it had been exposed for a couple more seconds. And while I have managed to deal with most of your injuries, you need to give your body time to adjust to the healing. You'll feel some pain now, but I can assure you that it's nothing compared to what you would've felt if you had woken up without any healing."

Tahno stared at her for a moment, comprehending everything she had just said. His fist clenched as he looked down at his own injuries and dressings. _I could've fought them back. I could've killed them if I wanted if I had my bending…_

He sighed, before he responded to the bender. "Thank you, Master Katara. For both your healing and your time."

Tahno's voice reached Korra's ears with a tone she had never heard before. His gratuity and sincerity was obvious, yet it was lined with undertones of sadness.

The woman smiled at him, nodding her head once in his direction. "You really should thank Korra and Bolin though, for finding you and bringing you back here. Without them, you could have gotten far worse."

Tahno glanced over at the avatar, a perplexed expression evident on his face for only a brief second before it was replaced with a genuine, grateful smile. "Thank you, Korra."

Taken slightly aback by his genuine tone, she hesitated before returning his smile with one of her own. "You're welcome."

Katara cleared her throat, interrupting the change in mood she noticed between the two of them. "Well, Korra and I need to be going and leaving you to rest, now."

She gave the younger bender a look, indicating the futility of further discussion on the subject.

The avatar glanced at Tahno briefly, then began to follow the older waterbender out of the room.

Tahno stared after her, silently dreading being alone again.

"Wait – Master Katara?"

She turned to him, a concerned expression on her face.

Tahno retracted slightly, unsure of his next words.

"Would it be alright if…Korra maybe stayed here for a bit?"

Korra's eyes widened, taken aback by his request for her, then looked to Katara for a response. The two waterbenders shared glances with one another, before Katara sighed and spoke.

"I suppose she _could_ …as long as she promises to tone it down and keep herself from injuring you further."

Korra rolled her eyes and pouted slightly at the implication, but nodded her agreement to the terms nonetheless.

Katara peered at the two of them curiously, then gave in and left them to themselves in the room.

3/5/2017


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter Ten

The door shut silently as the waterbender left, leaving the room feeling even emptier between the two young adults. Korra leaned against the far wall of the room, only several feet from where Tahno laid stiffly on the bed. Waves of regret crashed through his mind as he felt the awkward air growing between the two of them, and he decided to break the silence with one if his usual snarky remarks.

"So, you couldn't get enough of me last night? Had to come back for more today?"

Korra groaned, somewhat dismayed that the more genuine version of the man before her seemed to have vanished.

"You know, I could've just left you back at your place.."

Tahno chuckled at her response.

"And oh, what a wonderful Avatar that would have made you. Leaving a poor, defenseless, critically injured man to a painful death on the floor of his own home - I can only imagine what a splendid time the papers would have with that as their cover."

Korra glared at him, knowing that he was right. It _was_ her job anyway, protecting citizens and keeping the city safe. Something she had been failing a lot at recently, especially given all the benders who had lost their abilities to Amon - benders like Tahno. _If I had stopped Amon earlier, Tahno would've had his bending still and wouldn't have ended up like this. How many other benders had lost their abilities that she didn't know about? How many people had she failed?_

Tahno carefully observed Korra, his gaze locked onto her face. It was making a series of expressions, her mouth twisting around while her eyes stared blankly into the distance. He watched her for several minutes, trying to guess what she could be thinking. It was somewhat amusing, watching her, but he gradually became bored with it.

"So,"

He began, interrupting her trance. All sense of joking around had left his voice, and it startled her at first as she realized he was talking to her. she blinked several times, readjusting her focus as she looked to him.

"Why'd you come back over anyway?"

She noticed how intently he looked at her, and sensed a tinge of his more genuine side. _How am I supposed to explain that? 'Hey, gee, I only came over to stop you from being even more of a colossal dick than you usually are by preventing you from holding last night over my head?'_

"I wanted to thank you," she responded. "I actually brought you a basket of some baked stuff-"

Korra paused mid-sentence, suddenly remembering the gift she had absentmindedly ditched while focusing on figuring out what had happened yesterday.

"-but I don't know where I left it. I put it down somewhere, but I don't even remember when I did that..."

She had now moved away from the wall, and was pacing back and forth next to him as she trailed off.

"Guess that means you still owe me for our sleepover then, _Avatar."_

Tahno flashed her his signature dazzling grin, taunting her.

Korra stopped her pacing immediately, instead approaching him and sitting down in the chair positioned to face him.

"Right, like saving your ass and bringing you here wasn't enough? I think that you staying over and getting healed and taken care of after getting jumped or robbed or WHATEVER kind of evens us out, _Pretty Boy."_

Tahno smirked at her, raising an eyebrow at her. "You really think I'm still pretty?"

His tone dripped sarcasm as he feigned excitement.

Korra huffed, standing up and heading towards the door, refusing to answer him. She gave the door a good slam as she made her leave, and headed to her own room.

Tahno sat alone in the room now, bored out of his mind. His upright position in the bed was now slumped as he half-lay under the sheets. His body still ached, more so now that he had no distraction from it. He stared out the window in the wall next to him, watching the clouds drifting by in the pale blue afternoon sky.

6/18/2017


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11

The two brothers were in another one of the rooms in the temple, just down a few hallways.

Mako stared back at his brother, not bothering to hide his emotions – or his impatience – as he pressed Bolin for more information.

"So she slept with TAHNO last night? That's where she fucking ran off to? Are you kidding me?"

He felt the heat in his hands now, but ignored the small blaze that flickered out from his fists. He clenched his jaw, shaking his head from a mix of feelings. Pangs of relief, knowing that she had been safe at least, quickly turned to rage and jealousy that it had to be with _him._ _Did she sleep in his bed? Did he try anything? Did he take advantage of her? Knowing Tahno, that slimy, lecherous piece of shit…_

"Yeah, I know, I know, I said the same thing. But anyway, what I was telling you, was that we went back with the basket this morning and then we got there and he's all 'blehhhh' and then Korra and I are all 'ahhhhh', and then we run him back here and Korra tried her 'whishoooo' water healing stuff, but then he was still just all 'blahhhhhhh' and so she got Katara and then _she_ was all 'wooooowooowoooo' and then he was like 'blahhhh..?' and now he's just recovering but he's okay because we brought him back here."

Mako, who had previously been sitting down lazily - clearly not entertained by his brother's storytelling and fading in and out of listening - now perked up in his seat upon hearing the ending, and narrowed his eyes curiously.

"He's here?"

Bolin rolled his eyes, disappointed that his brother seemed to be so inept at listening to him.

"Yeah, I'm pretty sure that I just said that."

Mako stood up slowly from the seat, kicking the stool aside as he rose and heading for the door.

Bolin eyed him carefully as he moved, then shifted his own positioning to block his brother.

"Uh, where are you going?"

Mako scoffed in response.

"I really don't think that's a good idea…" Bolin warned, trying to dissuade Mako.

He shot his brother a glare, indicating that he should move out of the way.

Bolin obliged hesitantly, only out of respect for his older brother, and watched as he strode purposefully out of the room.

 _Fuck._

Mako strode through the halls of the temple, his pace quick and clearly indicating his worsening temper. He went from door to door, peeking inside the doors left ajar and quietly opening the ones that had been shut.

 _Why are there so many goddamn rooms here?_

Mako groaned, finding his way towards the end of the hallway. He spun around another corner, and found himself in the main living room of the temple. He cursed under his breath and walked through the open space, setting off for another hallway.

"Mako!"

A smooth, feminine voice sounded from behind him.

Mako turned around towards the voice, recognizing it immediately. The tall, dark-haired, pale-skinned woman looked to him with cheery eyes, her hazel eyes meeting his ginger ones, and he became uncomfortably aware of how tense he was. He pulled her into his arms, shoving Tahno aside for the moment.

"Good afternoon,"

Her silky voice spoke from his chest, a small giggle escaping her as she planted a gentle kiss on his lips. Mako stared at her for a blurred second before responding with the faintest hint of a smile.

"Hey," he responded shortly.

She pulled away slightly, her eyes shooting him a look of concern.

"Is everything okay? You sound...upset."

Mako gave her a partial grin, attempting to reassure her.

"I'm fine."

Asami rolled her eyes, resolving to continue this later, since he clearly didn't want to discuss whatever it was now.

"Everyone's been acting weird today..although it's justified with Korra going missing last night and then whatever happened with that mysterious guy she and Bolin brought back."

Tahno drew away, his eyes now locking onto hers. "...Mysterious guy?"

Asami cocked her head slightly, intrigued to have peaked his interest.

"Yeah, that injured guy that your brother and Korra back. He's staying here until he gets better, he's back over in the Men's dormitories in one of the quieter halls."

Mako planted a kiss on her lips before taking off the way he had came, exclaiming his thanks to her as he left.

Tahno sat in his room, gazing out the window, lost in the outside world. He was mesmerized by the ocean in the distance, the azure waves crashing violently against the earth. His hand tingled, as he remembered the power he once had. He yearned for his bending, every second, but he had learned to push those thoughts aside. Lusting over the past wasn't going to change his current situation. Keeping his thoughts rooted in memories only made him more miserable. He had to let them go. Move on. Carry on with his life.

But he couldn't.

The heavy footsteps sounding from outside his door alerted him, and Tahno immediately turned in their direction, just in time to watch the door slammed open and to see the firebender walk in.

 _Great._

12/31/2017


End file.
